All That I'm Dying and Living For
by Poisoned Existence
Summary: The daughter of Selina Kyle has an interesting future ahead of her. Read to find out. This fic is rated T for now, but there is a possibility of it being rated M for possible intimate encounters later on in the story. NEW CHAPTER IS UP.
1. Introduction

All That I'm Dying and Living For – Introduction

Disclaimer: The only character I own so far is Celyna. If I owned Batman Beyond, it would still be on the air.

Author's Note: This part of the story is mostly Celyna looking back on some things, but it also has her present opinion on certain topics.

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My name is Celyna Kyle and I am 17 years old, with blue eyes and shoulder length black hair. I live with my mother, Selina Kyle in a plush twelfth story apartment. I asked her one day why she gave me her name and just spelled it differently. She just told me that when I was born, she did not think that a common name would suite me. However, giving me a name that sounded feline somehow just seemed appropriate. She was right too - I am a huge fan of cats and simply cannot stand canines as their very presence grates on my nerves. Mom has a few cats and they each have their own unique personalities. I talk to them all of the time, and it is nice to be able to share what I am thinking, or how I feel without being judged.

My mother has raised me by herself my entire life or at least for as long as I can remember. I asked her one day if she ever got married and she told me that she used to have an interest in someone a long time ago, but that it never would have worked out. I asked her who it was, but she turned away from me and told me that it did not matter. I left her alone about it and did not asked her again even though the sad look in her eyes made me extremely curious as to his identity and what could have taken place between the two of them. I guess the saying about cats being curious fits me like a glove too...

I am about 5'4, and I am not stick thin on account of having more muscle than most females that I know. I would rather be able to not fit in a size 0 or a 1 if I had to choose between that and being able to stand up for myself. However, I would never be classified as overweight or fat. The good thing about that was, looking at me one would never know that I am stronger than most guys which have been unfortunate enough to get on my bad side. I never get tired of when someone tries to do something stupid (harass me or a girl they think is helpless) and they find out exactly what I am made of. I wander the streets at night, so it is a necessity for me to be rough and tough. I have always been stronger than what was "normal" for a girl. ...Although one really must inquire as to the definition of so-called "normal". I also have this "gift" where I know some things before they happen, and I can sense certain things about other people even if they show a completely different mask to the world. I am still learning to depend on that, but I occasionally forget and end up regretting it. I have made a pledge to myself where I will strive to learn from my mistakes. I can sense the presence of other beings and sometimes it even freaks me out a little. I have to confess, I have not told my mother about any of this, because I do not really know how she would react. I guess part of me is afraid that she would flip out or something.

Living in Gotham City is like living on the edge of death twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Hardly a day goes by when some girl is not raped, beaten, and left for dead. True, the numbers have gone down somewhat with the return of Batman, but even he cannot be everywhere at once. One day (before I discovered my preternatural strength) as I was walking on my way home from school, a few boys pretending to be tough guys came out of an alley. I am sure they would have done something to me, but something strange happened. I felt as though something took over my body and before I knew it, all four of my would-be attackers were on the ground moaning in pain. I think one had a broken nose too. Oh well, serves them right, and as far as I am concerned, it is a shame that their injuries were not worse. I still don't know how I did that and I used to find it cross between creepy and cool; but at least now I know that if I should find myself in a dicey situation, I would be able to protect myself. I went to school the next day and it turns out that the guys who attacked me the night before happened to go there. I found it amusing no one found out about what took place, as all of them kept quiet about it…stupid male ego I guess. I do not have an interest in having a boyfriend – frankly, I like my independence and I do not want to feel tied down. Besides, every single guy in my school is a jerk and/or a player. Mom finds my attitude towards boys quite amusing and says she would rather have me that way instead of being boy-crazy like almost every other girl. There have been a few boys interested in me, but so far, I have been successful in chasing them away and the rest of those who would approach me. The fact that it did not take much to do so proved they were not interested in anything beyond getting in my pants. Actually, even if they had been persistent, I would not have changed my mind anyway.

As for my style of clothing, I dress predominantly in black. I alternate anywhere between dressing business-like and just wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. The looks I always get I find to be entertaining. I wear low cut shirts, but not too low where I can bend over and my chest does not fall out. I refuse to wear miniskirts since the immature boys at Hamilton High think they are oh so subtle when a girl walks by and they pretend to drop something and angle their camera phones in order to get a snapshot up her skirt. One boy came up to me once and asked if I would flash him, and I think I held back too much in my response…although the principle did not. I can still hear him now, "Miss Kyle, you are not permitted to slam the head of another student into lockers because of a rude comment….blah blah blah". I tuned him out for the rest of the drawn out speech until he said that I would have to pay for the repairs done to the dozen or so badly damaged lockers. I snickered and mentioned that I knew he was screwing one of the cheerleaders (I had stayed after class to work on a project and happened to walk by his office door and hear them moan each other's names). God, I wish I could erase things from my memory… Anyway, he was afraid I would go to the Board of Education or something and decided to bribe the boy who ended up in the hospital with something to do with sports. I do not know the details and frankly, I do not care. However, I do remember when his father was notified of his son's actions, he came to the principal's office, and I was called in. I walked in the door and he shook my hand and said that he was sure his son deserved it. I was shocked speechless for a few minutes. I think I just nodded and said something along the lines of "thank you" when he said that he would not be pressing charges. Since that incident though, the news that I was a "Class A" bitch spread like wildfire. If people did not avoid me almost all of the time before, they certainly avoided me like the plague after that took place.

In all honesty, I did not have a real friend before my senior year of high school since I normally would stay to myself all of the time, and I lacked interest in that prospect. I went to class, came home, did homework, browse the internet, and wander the city when it is at nights darkest. When Mom caught me climbing in the window at 3:30 in the morning, she just said that I did not need to sneak out and that she used to do the exact same thing when she was younger. I still find myself surprised Mom has not had a fit because of my late night wanderings and the possibilities that could happen to a girl out there. When I was a senior at Hamilton Hill High School, I had the privilege of making three friends that I have become very close to over the year and a half that we have known each other. It was Max who first approached me in a computer class we had together. Thinking back now, it is probably bad that it is somewhat fuzzy as to what she talked to me about, but I think it had to do with a computer program we were doing for class. Anyway, she and I started talking more and eventually, she introduced me to her two other friends, Terry and Dana. As of right now, we commute to Gotham Community College and even have a few classes together, but Max and I are mostly in advanced placement courses. If I had a choice, I would not be going to community college, but Mom thought that since I was sixteen when I graduated high school; I was too young to go away to college. I am fine with that, and I get to go to an actual college when I turn eighteen anyway. Going here is not so bad, but there people here act like they are still in high school. I hear way too much drama going on and I have to say it is pretty darn annoying. Mom is right when she said that community college is just like thirteenth grade.

I found, or rather I find Terry to be attractive, but I would not date him for two reasons, He had a girlfriend already (Dana), and I was not interested in a relationship right now. Over the course of the year and a half the four of us have known each other, Terry and Dana have broken up and gotten back together more times than I could keep track of. The number one reason for this according to Dana was that Terry constantly breaks dates with her because of his job. I tend to agree with Dana somewhat though – we realize that he works for the old billionaire Bruce Wayne, but how can he need Terry at various hours of the day? But anyway, that is not really my concern.

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Author's Note: I hope that this was a good introduction to what I plan to be a very interesting storyline. Please review and tell me what you think of the story. Do not be afraid to make suggestions or offer as much constructive criticism as you want. 


	2. Chapter 1

_All That I'm Dying and Living for – Chapter 1_

_Disclaimer: I regret to say that I do not own Batman Beyond or the idea of Catwoman, but I do own Celyna._

_Authors Note: I know it has taken me such a long time to get this chapter up, and I apologize for that. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors, please let me know. Also, any suggestions for my story line are welcome._

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It is late and cool outside, and frankly, I feel like climbing the walls. I walk out of my room to go to tell Mom that I am leaving, but then I remember that she said she is working late tonight. When she found out about my late night prowls on the city, she told me to leave a note for her if she wasn't around, so I scribble a quick note saying I am leaving, and the time of departure. I attach the note to the refrigerator with a magnet, and open the door to see if there is anything I could grab and take with me. Scanning the contents, I turn away slightly miffed that aside from milk, juice, some yogurt, and vegetables which definitely needed to be thrown away, there was nothing to eat. Gingerly, I pinched the corner of the vegetable Ziploc bag and tossed it into the garbage can.

_Great, there is nothing to eat. Alright, mental note , I have got to get Mom to buy food tomorrow…I can't live on milk and crackers. Oh well…maybe I could stop somewhere and get something to eat. _

I open my bedroom window and step out onto the wide ledge. The rooftops of the buildings which surround where I live are all within jumping distance. I close my eyes and let the breeze wash over me. If I ignored the city smell, and concentrated on the combination of the coolness of night and the slight wind,there was a feeling of exhilaration caused by the sense of freedom. Taking a deep breath, I jump out and let myself fall to the next rooftop. I land silently in a crouch and look out over the city.

_Maybe I will explore a little more of the city tonight._

I decide to head over to Old Gotham just to have a look around. I had not been there on my previous excursions, so I was going to try something new for a change and jump from rooftop to rooftop headed in that direction. The old section of Gotham is abandoned and has been since around 2020 when the government decided to build a new section of Gotham as the population was growing. Instead of both Old and New Gotham having citizens, people liked the new section much better, and ever since then, Old Gotham was for the most part forgotten. The only people who hung around were gangs, but even then very rarely, or so I've heard. I did know that Bruce Wayne, some old billionaire that was pretty much a recluse from all that I know, made sure that Old Gotham was never torn down like so many people had tried to do. A few times a year, a proposal would be made for the destruction and possible rebuilding of Old Gotham, but Bruce Wayne made sure that it never was passed. I suppose that it held some kind of sentimental value for him. Since the old section and the new section of Gotham were set a little apart from each other for obvious reasons, I would have to get down from the roof I as there were no rooftops close by to jump to. Giving a disappointed sigh, I climb down the fire escape and jump to the ground and look around. Not being above the streets gave me a new perspective.

_Boy, I am so glad that I live in a good section of the city. Sheesh, even I would be paranoid to live here back in the day. _The me inside my head retorted, "_Even you? Of course you would be, you know that you aren't as tough as you try to appear to others. You may have other people fooled with how you really feel, but you will never be able to fool yourself." _I mentally glare at myself, but I knew I was right. Rolling my eyes, I think to myself that a psychiatrist would have a field day with me if they knew that I talk to myself all of the time and argue both mentally and verbally quite often. Since I couldn't talk to Max, Terry or Dana about my gift, the only person I could talk to was me.

I emerge from the alleyway and take a look at my surroundings. Trash blows by in the wind, and the buildings look as though they had never seen the hustle and bustle that had once been the main part of Gotham. Old Gotham does look like a ghost town, but it didn't fit in the category of extremely rundown. I turn onto another street, then suddenly freeze when I think I hear a noise behind me. Swiftly, I duck into an alleyway and crouch in the shadows. I mentally count to twenty, then cautiously peek around the corner. The street is empty other than the garbage that seems to be everywhere.

_I must be overly jumpy or something, which is somewhat odd for me because normally I would keep walking and if I was approached, would then deal with the situation as needed. _For some reason, I couldn't shake the bad feeling that seems to turn my blood cold. A creepy sensation crawls up my spine so I turn around. _Nothing there. What is going on here? This is so strange…maybe I'm flipping out for no reason? That must be it. I'm in a weird place, and it must be my imagination playing tricks on me. _

No sooner than I rationalized my fear, than did a net with lead weights drop on me from above. I collapse to the ground under the weight and try to lift the net off me. I hear raucous laughter and now realize that I had been targeted by Jokerz. "You have got to be kidding me", I mutter under my breath as I struggle to stand.

"Well, well, lookie at what we have here", sneers the one I assume to be the leader. "Hey sweetheart, want to come play with us?"

My lip curls in disgust. "No dreg, I wouldn't."

He turns back to his buddies and laughs. "Did she just say no to me?! Boys, we need to teach her a lesson, don't you think?" The other Jokerz give a roar of agreement and start towards me.

I finally manage to get the edge of the net and throw it off just as they decide to do their version of a football tackle. I feel a sharp pain in my side as I struggle to move underneath of the Jokerz piled on top of me. _Okay, calm down and think. The only way you are going to get them off is if you go for whatever is going to hurt them. Alright, that sounds like a plan. After all, it is better than being stuck here and raped by these freaks. There is no way that I am going down without a fight. _

Wriggling a little to get my arm where I could use it, I jab one of them in the eye and he yelps in pain. "You stupid bitch, what the fuck did you do that for?" he yells as he struggles to stand while covering his eye. I pinch the inside of another's leg and he moves off me. I went to knee the leader in the groin, but he shifted and hit me in the stomach. I exhaled sharply as the pain spread from my ribs across my stomach. I start to panic as the two I had either jabbed or pinched, held my arms as the leader straddled me. _There is no way I am going to let this happen without a fight. _I close my eyes and concentrate on forcing my emotions aside and letting the logical part of me take over. I open my eyes and look at the leader while bringing my knee up sharply. His eyes widen in pain as he topples to the side. The Jokerz holding me down loosen their grip as they stare at their leader and I seize this opportunity to yank my wrists away. I get to my feet as quickly as possible and start to run away, but the leader grabbed my ankle. I turned and stomped on his wrist then start running.

_Where do I go now? The rooftops. _I spot a fire escape ladder close to the ground and jump up to grab it. Hoisting myself up while hissing with pain was not exactly the easiest thing in the world. _I must have a cracked rib or something._ I try to mentally block the pain as much as possible and scramble up to the roof. Taking a deep breath, I take a running leap and jump to the next roof. No sooner do I land on the next rooftop, then do I hear voices yelling "Hurry up man, boss says we got to bring back the bitch now. Damnit, get your foot out of my face!".

_Great, here they come._ I run across rooftops and jump to others for what seems like forever while the Jokerz are following close behind. I reach the end of a rooftop and realize that there isn't another rooftop close enough to jump to. I start to climb down the fire escape, but I am grabbed from behind. I try to struggle but my efforts are futile. "We got you now, girlie", a voice growls into my ear. I am being dragged over to the edge away from the fire escape. My eyes widen as I realize what they were going to do and I start to struggle more. One of the other Jokerz picks up my legs and I try to kick him in the face, but either don't have enough strength left to do so, or he is too fast to move out of my way. Since there is an arm around my neck while carrying me, it's a little hard to see anything other than the Jokers arm holding me to my left, or the night sky above me.

They stop at what I can only guess is the edge of the roof and the one holding me says, "Well boys, lets see how far a bitch can fly". Suddenly, I feel myself hoisted, then thrown over the edge and unable to scream, I gasp and reach for something, anything to grab onto, but there is only air. _Oh goddess, I'm going to die. Mom, I'm so sorry…_ That is the last thing I was able to think before everything went black.

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Author's Note: I know that this was short, but I have been trying for a long time to try to get something written, so I figured that something short was better than nothing at all. I see that my stats page says that I have received almost 200 hits for chapter one. To all of my readers, please, please review because the more reviews I get, the happier I am, and the faster I update. 


	3. Chapter 2

_**All That I'm Dying and Living For – Chapter 2**_

_**Disclaimer: I regret to say that I do not own Batman Beyond or the idea of Catwoman, but I do own Celyna.**_

_**Author's Note: Once again, this story has taken the back seat when it comes between my story and my schoolwork. Okay yes, I have a hard time thinking of things to put in my story, so if you want to make suggestions, I am interested in your ideas. You can either email me, or leave a suggestion when you review. **__**Last, but most certainly not least, please review when you finish reading. **__**Reviews give authors encouragement and also help**__** us to **__**update more quickly.**_

_**Thank you to all of **__**my reviewers so far, you guys are wonderful and it really makes my day when I **__**see a review in my inbox. **_

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My awareness returns to something rough being scrapped across my cheek. Not quite being able to move, I mentally yell it to stop. Naturally, whatever it was didn't listen. _Well__ apparently I'm not dead…but why don't I feel any__ pain__ Come on__ body, you have got to __move…n__ow__ would be nice__I fell__, no__ rather was thrown from a buildi__ng, I should be dead. Not that I'm complaining, but why am I not dead?_

A little groan escapes as I struggle to open my eyes. When one finally obeys the commands from my brain, I receive an eyeful of fur. _Fur? Rats?! I hate rats! _I start to panic at the very thought of rats crawling over my body, and the horror stories I have heard over the years certainly did not help in the slightest. Purring sounds interrupt the rush of thoughts going through my head and I try to open my eyes further to see what is really on my head. _Purring __means it__ is a __cat __not__ a rat. Oh thank the gods, I love cats and at least I don't have to worry about them trying to eat my eyeballs. _

The cat moves off of my head and settles on my chest instead. My eyes are now completely open and I am greeted by the face a solid black cat with the most amazing green colored eyes I have ever seen. Instinctively, I knew that it was a female. _Why is a cat sitting on my chest? Make __that, __why is__ a cat that looks __healthy, well fed, and very clean in an alleyway?__She looks as though__ she belongs in a__ mansion or palace somewhere__ She is beautiful though…_

Suddenly, more purring is filtered into my consciousness and I prop myself up on my elbows to get a good look around the area where I was. Surrounding me was that looked all the same. Each and every one of them was solid black with piercing green eyes. Out of habit, I count the number and come up with eighteen, then add the one and the eight together in order to get the sum of nine. The mystical link and meaning of the number is not lost on me. My entire life, certain incidents resulting in a change to my life has always been linked to the number three.

"Well this really is quite an interesting turn of events," I say to my surrounding audience. In response I receive a mixture of looks, purrs and the occasional feline murmur. I put myself in a sitting position and picked up the cat that was originally sitting on my head. Her eyes were as green as emeralds, but the depths they held were somewhat puzzling – since it was uncommon for mere cat's eyes to display such a characteristic.

_Hmm…this isn't a normal cat and I guarantee that the others' are not normal either. __How strange would it be if they brought me back from the dead? Now that I think about it, I do feel different…almost as if I'm not the same person. __How can that be? _

Closing my eyes and opening up my mind, I set it to feel for what the cats were and what really happened to me before I woke up or was brought back. Forcing myself to put aside how I felt and focus on finding the truth sounds simpler than it was. By nature, my mind does not know how to shut up, so understandably, meditation was an interesting challenge. Still, this was something I needed to do before I moved from the alley. The Jokerz were long gone and I could not sense any other presence around other than the cats and myself.

After what seems like a very long time, I slip into the state of mind where I begin to get flashes of the events that had previously taken place. I saw myself being thrown from the rooftop, then lying on the ground in a position that clearly conveyed that I was very dead. I looked closer at my body perhaps out of some morbid fascination and then notice energy accumulating beside me. The energy changes colors from gray to green, then splitting into eighteen separate entities, which then take the form of cats. Thirteen of the cats form a circle around me, with five on the inside to form a pentacle. The leader was sitting on my head while the remaining four were at my arms and legs. After a second, a different energy was released by the cats and took the form of a violet-black magic circle. The form of a large feline was created from the energy and then seemingly dissolved into me.

My eyes snap open and for a second, reality is blurred by what I had just seen. _Well now, that isn't what I expected at all…__What the heck is going on here?! __From everything I have just seen, I was dead and the cats brought me back. __Everything is__ obviously more than myst__ical than I ha__d thought.__ I am going to have to get to the bottom of things…but first, I need to get home before Mom starts to worry too much. I don't know how I am going to be able to explain what has happened here, so for the time being, I will just not say much._

I rise to my feet and look at the surrounding cats. "I am very grateful for you bringing me back. I just wish there was something I could do for you…especially since you aren't normal cats and all". The female leader circles around my feet purring as though she and I had known each other forever. "I should think of a name to call you, shouldn't I?" She meows in response as if to say _"__Why yes, that would be nice. After all, I don't want to be known as 'cat-with-no-name'"_. I laugh to myself and pick her up, "I'll have to think of a name for you later. You don't mind do you? I should get home especially since it will be light soon, and I don't want Mom to start worrying".

I put her back on the ground and start to walk away, and then the feeling of being followed causes me to turn back around. The leader was following me, but the rest of the other felines seemed to have disappeared. I frown in puzzlement and send the leader a questioning look. She gives me what seems to be a blank look, walks ahead a few steps, and then turns around as if to say, _"Well, are you coming or not__?" _

Inwardly shrugging, I go to climb up the ladder, but get the sudden urge to just jump up to the roof. _No way…how could I possibly do that? It is four stories up…still can't hurt to try right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen?_ All of a sudden when I go to half-heartedly jump to the roof, I soar to the top and actually land on my feet. "Whoa! That was amazing!" I hear another meow and the cat is by my side once again. Now, normally, I would be curious as to how the cat managed to jump four stories, and while that is a question in my mind, I am still determined to get home before dawn. I know that Mom doesn't mind me wandering at night, but maybe it was the fact I had died and was brought back to life, but I wanted to see my mother more than usual. Do not get me wrong, I like to be alone, but when it comes to my mother, things just seem better when I am around her. Maybe other daughters feel the same way about their mothers, but I wouldn't know.

I make record time leaving Old Gotham and as I enter New Gotham, I crouch on a cathedral rooftop and survey the city. Before me, buildings stretch as far as the eye can see and beyond that is the ocean. The sun is beginning to peek over the horizon and I wait a moment, just staring at my surroundings and marveling at how being so high can make the city seem so peaceful and quiet in the early hours of the morning. Absentmindedly, my thoughts stray to Batman and I wonder if he ever thought the same thing when he wasn't saving lives. Shaking my head as though to clear such thoughts from my head, I freefall from the cathedral and land on another rooftop on my way home.

Upon reaching my bedroom window, I quietly slide it open and allow the cat to go in ahead of me. Then I enter and leave the window open so as to get a little so-called fresh air in the bedroom. The area I lived with my mother was not deep into the city, so the pollution was not quite as bad. From the stories I have heard from my mother before it was mandatory for all automobiles to be electric, the pollution was much worse. Yuck, I cannot understand how anyone could have possibly lived in such a place.

I undress slowly as I feel the effects of the night and morning begins to sink it. I put a pair of loose pajamas on and walk to the kitchen with the cat following me like a shadow. Mom is already sitting at the table drinking her coffee. Like her, I am somewhat of a caffeine addict and were this any other day when I had gotten at least some sleep, I probably would be on my third or fourth cup of coffee.

"Good morning Celyna. Late night?" Mom asks taking another sip of her coffee.

"Morning, Mom. I didn't get back until a few minutes ago actually. Oh, you don't mind if we have another cat to add to our collection do you? While I was out, this cat seemed to like me, and followed me home." I give her a pleading look.

The cat circles around my feet and looks at her. Mom looks back and a slight frown creases her forehead and quickly disappears. I probably would have been the only one to notice it because it was there and gone so fast.

"Mom, is something wrong?" I ask to make sure she is okay.

Mom looks at me and smiles, but the smile doesn't quite reach her eyes as she says, "Of course we can have another cat. Have you decided on a name for her?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you had any suggestions, I can't seem to come up with a name for her that fits her personality."

"Hmm. Well, when I was younger, I had a cat named Isis that looks very similar to this one. Why don't you call her Isis?"

"Isis. I like that name a lot." I pick the cat up and ask, "Do you want to be called Isis?" I get a murmur in reply and know instinctively that she is pleased with the name. "Well, Isis it is then. Now, I am going to get some sleep since I have to get at least a few hours in. Mom, do you need me for anything this morning?"

"Not that I can think of right now. Since it is Saturday, I'm only working for a few hours this afternoon, and then I'll be home tonight. Have any preferences for dinner?" Mom finishes her coffee and takes the empty mug over to the sink and proceeds to wash it.

"How does Chinese sound? We haven't had it in what, a few days?" I grin at her.

Mom gives a laugh, "You are truly a daughter after my own heart. Chinese it is for dinner then. I'll be home around 6, so don't go prowling before then okay?"

"Sure Mom, I won't. I want to study some more of my law books after I get some sleep." I go over to her and give her a hug.

Mom hugs me back and in her hug, I get the feeling that there is something that she wants to tell me, but doesn't know how. _I'll let it go for now. I know Mom and when she is ready to tell me what it is, she will. _

I head back to my room, fall onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. _This has been the most incredibly weird day. I wonder why Mom had such a strange expression on her face when she saw Isis…what could that mean? _

Isis jumped on the bed and lay beside me purring. A gentle paw touched my hand as if to say, "I brought you back from the dead, the least you could do is give me some attention." Smiling, I indulge her and close my eyes.

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Author's Note (another one): I hope that you liked this story and I would love to hear what you have to say about it. Have any questions, suggestions? Press the button down there and review. :) 

Poisoned Existence


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